We meet every Sunday at 10am on the first Sunday of the month, and 10:30am on the remaining Sundays.
We meet in the Bethany Room at High Street
Methodist Church, Witney. Postcode is OX28 6HG.
Our children's group arrangements are currently on hold, as we have no children participating regularly at present, but with advance notice, we can always accommodate children and are happy to do so.

Sunday, 12 February 2017

Sunday 19 February: Reading Quaker Faith and Practice:chapters 9 & 18Sunday 26 February: shared lunch after meeting for worshipSunday 5 March: meeting for worship for business 11.30Saturday 11 March: Oxford and Swindon Area Meeting will be hosted by Witney Local Meeting in the Upper Hall, Methodist Church, Witney from 10 am - 4.30pmSaturday 18 March: Quaker National Day of Healing - Witney Friends will take part in this - details from Mahalla Mason

Minutes of a meeting for worship for
business held 5.2.17 in the Bethany Room, Methodist Church, Witney

EightFriends were present. An extract from Quaker Faith and Practice §26.36 was
read during our opening period of worship.

01/17 Matters arising:

a)Report on visit to
Wood Green School: Mahalla and Don Mason and Lesley Morris visited the school
on 27.1.17 to speak to and answer questions from 67 sixth form pupils on
Quakerism. This is the second time we have been asked to visit, and again, the
pupils responded well although were more reserved than the previous group.

b)Report on afternoon
of Quaker worship as part of the week of prayers for Christian unity: about 20
people joined in an afternoon which included two periods of silent worship and
readings on the theme of resisting discrimination and responding to our neighbours.
Those attending were interested and appreciative, and being able to come to an
afternoon session was also helpful.

c)Friends’ meals
together; Sharon Watson hosted the first of these, on 19.1.17, designed to give a small number of members of
the meeting, particularly those newer to Quakers, a chance to get to know one
another better. Future meals will be hosted by Don and Mahalla Mason, and Adam Noble
on 16 February (12.15) and 16 March (7pm)

d)Syrian families
befriending project: There have been challenges and good news from this
initiative, including house changes and medical issues. The Yemeni interpreter
is moving back to fulltime work in Oxford, but a second council project worker
has been appointed and English classes continue. One parent has now found
appropriate work in Witney, and the families are becoming independent, enabling
the befriending group slowly to withdraw. A paper copy of the full report has
been placed in our files.

02/17 Accounts
2016: our treasurer, Ruth Slade, has spoken to the accounts, in advance of
the examination of LM accounts on 18 February and the subsequent preparation of
AM audited accounts. We are pleased to note that members’ donations were close
to budget, and that we begin 2017 with healthy finances. This includes a legacy
of £500 from Sue Bowers and an additional £500 in donations. We approve these
provisional accounts, subject to audit. We thank our treasurer and the Finance
Group.

03/17 Nominations:
We ask our Nominations group (Lesley Morris, Jennifer Barraclough, Don Mason
and Rae Cather) to meet as soon as is convenient, to bring forward a name to
replace Peter Couchman on our Finance Group, and a name to replace Allan Carr
as the Witney member of AM nominations committee.

04/17 Area
Meeting matters:

a)We have been asked
to comment on a concern relating to criminal justice reform, in time for the
May AM: we ask Don Mason and Frances Bird to review the guidance and
information and prepare their observations for consideration at our March
meeting for business.

b)The next AM elders
and overseers day will have speakers from Cornwall on the concern of Friends
there that possession of drugs intended for personal use should be
decriminalised.

c)Witney is hosting Area
Meeting on 11 March from 10 am onwards, till approximately 4.30pm; we ask
Mahalla Mason, Jennifer Barraclough and Sharon Watson to attend to the
practical arrangements and hope that as many members of our meeting as possible
will be present.

05/17 Quaker
National Day of Healing: arrangements have been made for us to join in this
day, by meeting during the course of 18 March (between 11 -4pm) at Suzette
Hubbert’s home; Friends wishing to attend are asked to let Mahalla Mason know.

06/17 Dates
of future meetings:

The
next Spiritual and Pastoral Gathering is on 12 February after meeting for
worship.

Summer
away day: a picnic at Minster Lovell has been suggested, and Friends are asked
to indicate preferences for the afternoons of 21 May or 11 June.

Ann
Mills is hosting an open barbecue at her home on 5 August to raise funds for
her educational charity in India.

Our
Christmas shared lunch will be held on 3 December 2017.

07/17 Any
other business: The Rev Melanie Reed
has written to confirm that we continue to be warmly welcomed at the Methodist
Church, and that the church is content with our present level of donation in
lieu of rent. We ask our treasurer to reply.